Damaged
by Wandering Prophecy
Summary: No one is perfect.


**A/N:** Wanted to show a more realistic and human side to Yuusei. Tired of seeing him so perfect in stories as well as Aki always being the one to be saved. Wanted to do something different and darker. I don't care if you think this is a romantic or friendship fic. People will turn anything into a pairing, so it doesn't matter what I say, right?

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><p>"The illustrious star has begun to fade." Aki said softly as she slipped her arms beneath her bust while she gave a hazy gaze towards the black silhouette outlined by the glare of a computer screen. She saw the silhouette shift as it turned its head to give her a cool sapphire look before turning back to its previous activity. Sliding her tongue over her lips, the woman pushed herself off from the doorframe and took three long strides before standing before the bed with her hands now on her hips. "We need to talk, Yuusei."<p>

Said male kept his back to her as heavy breathing filled the silence surrounding him. Aki's lips tugged into a frown before a sigh fell from them. Quietly she took a seat opposite from the stoic male with her hands in her lap. She noted the curtains had been shut with the translucence from his computer screen bathing the room in an eerie glow. "You've been doing it again, haven't you?"

She only needed to wait for a single heartbeat to pass for him to answer. "I have no knowledge of what you are referring to, Aki. Please leave my room and go to bed; you have classes in the morning."

Hands gripped the fabric in her lap; Aki lowered her head as a harsh pang attacked her heart. "You're a fool to think I would leave. I know that scent coming from you…I know it _very_ well." Aki watched as the glow disappeared as shadows bend and twisted around her with the bed shifting as well. "Yuusei."

"I'm fine Aki. Go to bed now." Turning halfway, Aki wore a mask devoid of emotion. Her eyes left her friend's as they took in every part of his form before sitting on the bed. "You should know not to lie to me, of all people." Her voice was barely a whisper as a hand left her lap and moved towards his. The moment her fingertips grazed his hand, the man snatched her wrist in it. Aki remained unfazed; in fact a smile bloomed on her lips.

"Aki…This will be the last time I tell you to go to bed. _Please_, you have classes in the morning. I don't want you to—" His thoughts and words were cut off with a sharp gasp as Aki lashed out with her other hand and pushed his shirt up.

A bitter laugh fluttered past the woman's lips as her suspicions had been confirmed at the bleeding cuts that varied in depth along his chest and stomach. "I knew it." Yuusei slapped her hand away to which Aki quietly placed her hand back into her lap. He then turned his back to her with her doing the same. "This is my problem, not yours. Why can't you ever let things be?"

Her eyes tapered with them peeking out at him from the corner of her eye. "You're my friend, Yuusei. And when I smelled the blood…I became worried."

"This is my problem and mine alone."

Yuusei's eyes widened in surprise at the laughter that brushed against his back like a cool spring breeze; throwing a glance over his shoulder he saw the girl looking at him with an all-knowing look in her eyes. "Your intelligence may surpass the norm, Yuusei, but you still have yet more to learn about people. We are not all machines you know."

"Perhaps I should keep my personal ties to them instead of people." Aki shook her head at the bitterness. The mattress groaned as weight shifted atop it as Aki pulled herself more onto the bed; placing her hands atop Yuusei's shoulders. "Yuusei…you bear so much on your shoulders. The cracks are beginning to show."

He shook her off before falling to his side and hitting the pillow. "Leave me be, Aki. I'm fine." Aki pulled back and situated herself to sitting on the edge once more. "You cannot keep avoiding it or else you won't be able to fix it."

Yuusei glanced upward at her, a glare in his sapphire orbs as they saw a girl smiling down at him. "You may think it's hypocritical of me to say it, but I know where you're coming from."

"You've put a blade to yourself?"

She shook her head as her eyes fluttered closed. "No, but I would hit myself until I bled." Her hands gripped the fabric of her dress once more. "Divine helped me to stop; telling me that I was okay and that life is a blank slate each day." Opening her eyes, Aki looked down at the form of a once bright star. "It took time though."

"And you will do the same for me?" Yuusei's eyes widened as the girl laughed again as her hand ruffled up his spiky locks. "Yuusei, we're both damaged goods. I'm still trying to get my life the way I want it to be… It would be hard on both of us to try to help each other and ourselves."

The man was quiet for two heartbeats. "Help…that's what my father tried to do…but it ended in the deaths of so many innocents. His mistake dictates my life, and there is nothing I can do to outrun it…" Aki was silent at this confession, and she was about to press forward when she saw the dim look in his eyes. She sighed inwardly; this was not the right time nor was she the right person for him to talk to.

Yuusei sat up on his forearms, raising a brow as a thought suddenly came to mind. "You said help, don't you mean fix?"

"For me…it still happens on rare occasions. It's all about perseverance and a good guide. We can't fix our emotions permanently."

Cocking his head to the side, the young man let out a heavy sigh. "I see… So who will be my guide?"

Aki formed a bittersweet smile on her lips. "Let's tend to your wounds first before looking for a therapist."

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><p><strong>AN:**We're all damaged; sometimes we just need our eyes to be open.


End file.
